7 recycling mistakes Leon County residents are making

Materials collected through local single-stream recycling services are sorted and processed at the Marpan Recycling Facility Thursday, April 18, 2018.

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The sorted materials, such as the paper pictured here, are then compacted and bound into bales. The bales are cleaned up by hand, visible contamination is removed, before they are shipped on to their designated mill or end-user.(Photo: Hali Tauxe/Democrat)Buy Photo

Plastic bags are the No. 1 problem, said Loscialo. They can wrap around machinery or get tangled in the stream, causing costly hold-ups. The facility isn't designed to process plastic bags, though you can recycle plastic produce containers like those that hold berries or tomatoes.

What to do instead: Plastic bags can be recycled at dispensers outside local grocery stores, such as Publix. You can also throw in newspaper bags, dry cleaner bags — and any clean, dry plastic produce or bread bags, according to the grocery store's sustainability office. Better yet, bring reusable tote or mesh bags to the grocery store or farmer's market.

2. Recycling coffee cups.

The cardboard sleeve on paper cups is recyclable, but the cup itself is not. That's because of the plastic inner lining fused to the cup.

What to do instead: Switch to a reusable coffee cup to take to your Starbucks or Lucky Goat run.

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Contamination, any recycled items that can't be processed, is removed by hand as the recycled material is sorted at the Marpan recycling facility Thursday.(Photo: Hali Tauxe/Democrat)

3. Throwing un-rinsed cans and jars in the bin.

Wet material takes longer to process, said Loscialo. Rinse jars, cans and and plastic containers and let them dry.

4. Removing lids and labels.

Contrary to common thought, labels and lids can stay on glass jars before being thrown in the bin.

Take it a step further: Reuse your jars. Store grains and legumes in them, or craft materials.

5. Recycling overly greasy pizza boxes.

When the box is entirely soaked in grease and cheese, it's a problem, said Schreiner. Material should be clean when it does to the recycling plant.

What to do instead: Cut off the cardboard lid and recycle that if the rest of the box is covered in grease.

6. Throwing holiday lights or medical sharps in the bin.

Used syringes and medicinal needles are a hazard, and string lights get tangled up in machinery, Loscialo said.

Bales of sorted materials wait to be sent on to mills or end-users according their substance. After the processing at Marpan, some products have as little as two percent contamination, some even less.(Photo: Hali Tauxe/Democrat)

7. Thinking recycling is the greenest thing they can do.

Recycling is an energy-intensive process, explained Schreiner. Material has to be processed, sorted and transported.

"Recycling is important but … there’s a reason recycling is the last 'R,'" she said. "We’d ultimately like to have people to dispose less, but the next best thing is for people to be recycling."

What to do instead: Use reusable materials whenever possible, or nourish a garden and divert waste by starting a compost. You can even start with a reusable water bottle.

"Avoiding a water bottle," she said, "is always better than using the water bottle and recycling it."

Reach Nada Hassanein at nhassanein@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @nhassanein_.